The Mirror of Erised Marauders' Era
by Penmanboat
Summary: James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter find the Mirror of Erised. Sirius sees something he doesn't expect.
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Mirror of Erised - Marauders' Era

Author: Penmanboat

Rating: K+

Fandom: Harry Potter

Disclaimer: Not mine.

The Mirror of Erised - Marauders' Era

The Marauder's were on the run from Filch. Again. James and Sirius had thought it would be funny if they cast the _Babbling Spell _on Joanna Kilauea. She kept going on, and on about how much she was in love with Sirius. When Filch asked her who had done this she pointed, while she kept on talking, down the corridor where the four boys were already on the run. Remus, as usual, made a comment about how the others always dragged him into these things.

"First of all, Remus," James began, "the spell was _your_ idea! And second of all…TURN!" The second years bounded up the stairs leading to the fourth floor. Peter was beginning to slow down and his breathing quickened. They had to find somewhere to hide otherwise Filch would catch them. Remus glanced behind him as he saw Filch come through the door they had been in just seconds ago. He grabbed Peter and James by the collars of their robes and yanked them into an abandoned classroom. (1) He hoped that Sirius wouldn't keep running. Thankfully, Sirius got the hint that the others had found a hiding place. They shut the door and took in their surroundings; the room was dusty and covered in a fine layer of it. Once the boys realized that the only thing present in the room was a floor-length mirror, they did a double take on the fact that they had all thought that this room was a classroom. Thinking that they would wait out here while Filch searched fruitlessly for them, the boys all took a different seat on the stone floor.

Peter walked around the room unable to sit still. He walked about to the mirror and gave a startled yell. Sirius, who had fallen asleep on Remus' shoulder jumped up screaming, "I didn't try and give Kreacher a sock, mom! I swear!"

"Thank you, Sirius. Now, we all know you dream about your mother and your house elf," James said. Turning towards Peter he said, "Peter (2) what in the world did you see that made you scream bloody murder?" Peter didn't answer, he just meekly pointed at the face of the mirror he was staring at as if it was a ghost.

All the boys made their way to the mirror. As the all looked at it, they all mirrored the same expression of surprise.

"Ah, you boys have found it," somebody from behind them said. All the boys whipped their heads around to meet the smiling face of Albus Dumbledore. "This, my sons, is the Mirror of Erised. It will show you what the qualities of the life that would make you the happiest. To each person the vision is different."

After a moments' hesitation, Remus spoke, "I see myself as a professor here and I don't…" he stopped himself short. If the others weren't so mesmerized by the mirror they would ask Remus to finish his sentence, or they would have noticed the sad smile of recognition on Dumbledore's face. (3) James spoke up a few moments later, "I see Lil- I mean somebody and I holding hands, with you three behind me and I have my broom."

Peter timidly mumbled something only saying it aloud when James told him to speak up. "I see myself getting all O's on my owls and I see myself leading us to class. And everyone is worshipping me while they bow at my awesome powers." Everyone looked at Peter with an expression of concern as they slowly inched away for him and his maniacally grin. "Anyway, what do you see Sirius?" Peter said as the grin melted away.

"Oh…um… you know surrounded by girls. Kreacher lying dead at my feat…and you guys are laughing with me." Sirius said while he scuffed his feat and put his hands in his pockets. The rest of the boys looked at him… they had known him for two years now, and they knew the way he tipped on his toes when he wasn't being truthful. Still, they let it pass. Dumbledore, on the other hand, gave him a knowing look. He himself saw his family. (4) And it was a secret he was betting he would take it to the grave.

After a while, the Marauders believed that Filch had stopped looking for them, gone back to whatever he was doing, and probably found someone else to torture. They bid Dumbledore farewell, who was still staring at the mirror, and went back to the Gryffindor common room. Once they were all changed into their nightclothes, they went to bed, all of them thinking about the same thing. The mirror.

Later that night Remus woke up at about two in the morning. He looked around the room and saw Sirius staring at the ceiling, hands behind his head, and his legs crossed. "Sirius, why are you still up?" With no response, Remus asked him again, "Sirius?" At that, Sirius jumped up and pointed his wand (he slept with it under his pillow) at Remus' face.

"What!" Sirius whispered angrily.

"What are you doing up at this hour?"

"Oh… just thinking," he said as he went back to his original position.

"About…,"

"Nothing in particular,"

"So… the mirror?"

"Yea…"

"Don't dwell on it too much mate. That mirror just shows you what can never happen," Remus said bitterly while looking away. "Just go back to bed, mkay?"

"Yea, I guess your right." With that, the two twelve-year olds went to sleep.

* * *

1 I know that the Mirror of Erised was only kept on the fourth floor for Harry's first year. But, when I researched the mirror, I could find no other place it was kept, so I kept it in the abandoned classroom.

2 Ok, I figured that since the Marauders didn't find out Remus was a werewolf until their third year, I thought they would have no reason to call them selves "Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs" because they weren't Animagus yet.

3 Yes, this is a spoiler for book three… This is a reference to Remus being a werewolf. This is how he would've finished the sentence. "… I don't have the curse of the full moon." Seeing, as the rest of the Marauders' didn't find about his condition until their third year, but Dumbledore knew all about it.

4 Spoiler Alert for Book 7. He's talking about Ariana and his mother and father and I guess Aberforth.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: The Mirror of Erised - Marauders' Era

Author: Penmanboat

Chapter: Two

The Mirror of Erised - Marauders' Era

On the next day, the boys promised to meet at the tree in the courtyard. Three of the boys stood there. James, in his Qudditch gear; (1) Remus with book in his hand, and Peter, who looked like he just woke up, converged on the scene. Peter looked around at the group, and said, "Aren't we missing someone?"

"Hmm… No, I don't think so," James said, while dropping his broom.

"Oh my- James! Sirius isn't here!" Remus said realizing one of their friends wasn't there.

"What? Sirius?" There was a pause before James said, "Hey! Sirius isn't here!"

"No dip Sherlock," Remus said flicking his head. "We should probably look for him. He usually doesn't miss theses things."

"Maybe, McGonagall kept him for afternoon detention. This wouldn't be the first time he's done something in detention to earn him another detention," Peter interjected.

"Yea, that would be a good place to start," Remus said tapping his chin thoughtfully. And with that, the three friends ran off to the Transfiguration room.

Meanwhile, Sirius was standing in front of the Mirror of Erised. He had been standing there ever since the Marauders went there separate ways that morning. He was staring at the mirror, hoping and wishing that the image would become reality. Confession time: He had lied to his friends about what he saw in his reflection. What he really saw was-.

"It's quite amazing isn't Mr. Black?" Dumbledore once again stepped out of the shadows of the abandoned classroom. With no response coming from the boy, he continued, "When you were in front of your friends, sometimes you have to put up a façade. A little white lie in the right place will keep your secrets safe for ever."

"Professor, what do you see in your reflection?" Sirius asked not breaking his stare of the glass.

"Me? I see myself holding a pair of thick wooly socks. You see in all the years I've lived, nobody has ever given me a pair of socks for a present."

Sirius knew that the professor was telling him a _little white lie_, but he didn't dote on it. Sirius himself told a lie to get out of telling the world what he really saw. "Sirius, I won't tell anyone what you see if you tell me. A famous woman once said, 'You never find yourself until you face the truth'. (2) Sirius no matter what you do, that image will never come true if you don't do anything." Sirius stared at the mirror for a little while more, contemplating telling Dumbledore.

Said professor, half convinced the boy would stay mute, turned to leave when the boy spoke. "I see myself…and my friends behind me… and my…my arm around my brother's shoulder and we're both laughing," a smile grew on the boy's face. "Man I wish my bother and I were still friends. I'd give anything for that image to be true." A tear spilled out and ran down his cheek. His sniffed his nose; he was so close to tears. But he couldn't cry, no matter what. _Black men don't cry!_ He buried his head in his arms, let the tears pour out, and sank to the ground. _What a man you are._ He could hear his mother criticizing him. When he felt a slight pressure on his shoulder, he meekly looked up tears still dripping of his face.

He saw Dumbledore's smiling face. "Now don't you feel better you told me?"

Sirius was in a crouching position, he stood up and brought upon a look of thought. "Well I don't feel worse now that someone thinks I'm a wuss," was his reply.

"You are _not_ a wuss for wishing to be on better terms with your brother," Dumbledore stated, suddenly serious.

"Yes I am."

"No, you're _not_."

"Whatever."

Dumbledore sighed. It would take a while for Sirius to come to terms with the fact he wanted to be close to his brother. "Well it's almost time for dinner we 'ought to head down. Don't you think?"

"Hmm," was the intelligent reply Dumbledore received. As the two men walked down the steps down to the great hall, the professor wondered if Sirius' brother, Regulus, saw the same thing his brother saw.

A few days later Regulus walked along the fourth floor looking each way. He thought he was acting as a complete fool. He had heard from the second-year Slytherins that the Gryffindor second-years had found a mirror on the fourth floor that showed you what would have to happen for you to be at your happiest. He himself was lusting to find that mirror. He was almost to the end of the hallway; he was beginning to think that this was some atrocious rumor, when he saw an old oak door. He decided to peek in; he saw no one, neither in the room nor outside in the hall, so Regulus went in. He saw nothing in the room except a floor-length mirror. He approached it carefully, almost as if he was scared of what he might see. The boy walked to it and almost dropped the textbook he was holding. He pivoted his head to look behind him. No, he was still alone, yet when he looked back at the mirror, he saw the same thing. The rumors were true. The mirror showed him the thing that would make him the happiest. He didn't believe it! His brother and he were laughing! Not to mention Sirius was _touching _him. They hadn't been that close, emotionally or physically, since they were six. (3) Regulus stormed out of the room and down to the third floor. When he was going down the stairs to the second floor, he thought, "Maybe, I _should_ start talking to him again." At the same time, Sirius, yet again, was thinking about the mirror. "Maybe I should talk to Regulus. And apologize for all the times I've pranked him. And made fun of him. And all the times I was mean to him."

"Yea," the Black brothers said simultaneously.

* * *

1 I figured that since James knew he was a good Catcher (Harry Potter Wiki), he would try out for the team as soon as possible. But since Harry was the first player to join his first year, I thought James would try in his second. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

2 This is a real quote. Pearl Bailey said it.

3 Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Black brothers weren't on good terms when the books took place, and they never mention when things got rocky. So I used my imagination. I figured that Sirius, once he found out what a Mud-blood was he would be against using the term. And Regulus would be all for it so… this is an excuse to guess what age Sirius' life took a rebellious turn. :]


End file.
